Our body uses it to build and repair tissue. Our hair and nails are made of it. It is necessary to form enzymes and hormones, it regulates blood sugar and is a component of all cells in our body. You can see where we're going with this: Protein is important. This message is now everywhere: It's hard to imagine bodybuilders without protein shakes, and in the supermarket, the word "protein" jumps out at us from the packaging of a wide variety of foods - from flapjacks to beef jerky.So proteins are important and healthy, we know that by now. However, hardly anyone really knows their way around. We have 5 tips for you on how to eat more protein and reap all the benefits of this multi-talent. Follow these tips when you create a diet plan and your protein intake is assured.
You can eat proteins for breakfast without much effort and without artificial supplements. Poached, hard-boiled, or scrambled - there are many options. Eating eggs in the morning also helps you lose weight because they fill you up so you don't feel hungry before lunch. They are also low carb, quite the opposite of cornflakes or rolls. On average, an egg contains about 6 grams of protein, most of which is in the egg white.
Protein powder isn't just for shakes! A great tip for athletes and fitness enthusiasts: When baking, replace part of the flour with protein powder, for example whey protein. For a real protein bomb, use black beans in your brownies. When substituting protein powder for flour, use an appropriate conversion chart and be careful not to use too much - nobody likes cookies that are as hard as bricks or gummy pancakes. Don't worry, baking doesn't change the nutritional content of protein—your body absorbs the amino acids like it normally would.
Legume dips are an ideal snack. If you get hungry between meals, simply cut cucumbers, carrots and peppers into strips. Pair this with a hummus dip and you have a snack that is not only healthy but also high in protein. Chickpeas are rich in protein. If that's not enough for you, throw in pumpkin seeds – another great source of protein. Hummus also tastes really good on bread and is a wonderful substitute for unhealthy and high-fat mayonnaise.
Salads are always a good decision because they provide us with many important nutrients. However, protein is often neglected, because vegetables do not contain much of it. This is also the reason why you are often hungry again after a few hours after a large salad. To avoid this, supplement your salad with protein-rich ingredients: chicken or turkey breast, tuna, salmon and cheese all contain around 20 grams of protein per 100 grams. Avoid fatty meats and cold cuts such as roast beef, salami and ham – they contain a lot of salt and bloat. Vegans can jazz up your salad with almonds, chickpeas, or a handful of pecans.
Cottage cheese is surprisingly high in protein (and low in carbohydrates). If you want to lose weight, use cottage cheese instead of ricotta, which is also rich in protein, but has a higher fat content and is higher in calories. Do you like to eat yoghurt? Go for Greek yogurt: it contains almost 20 grams of protein per 100 grams. However, be sure to buy the sugar-free version.
